But there are worse ways to spend an hour in the afternoon here – even if you’re still trying to get over the excesses of the night before.

We were staying in the city of South Lake Tahoe on the southern shore, slap-bang on the California-Nevada stateline.

Our boutique hotel was a quirky newly-converted motel called Basecamp – one of the rooms features a tent and fake camp fire.

It was a snowball’s throw from the gondola, restaurants and bars.

And that night we hit Basecamp Pizza for huge Bloody Marys, which were served with bacon rashers, and washed down our BBQ and Thai Chicken Curry pizza (I’m not kidding) with Alaskan White beer.

On the way home we skipped merrily past the 24-hour casinos – there are six here, one right next to our hotel – and enjoyed crossing from California on one side of the road to Nevada on the other and back again... and back again.

Once in the friendly warmth of Basecamp we settled down for a good bottle of red and some Britpop hits on the stereo to round off a great day.

Our visit to California had begun in San Francisco, where we squeezed in an afternoon exploring the city on foot followed by an evening of Anchor Steam beer and fresh crab.

Chris Cypert

Apres-ski: Relax by the fire

The next day we made the four-hour drive to our next stop-off, Northstar, for two days at the five-star (well, someone’s got to do it) Ritz-Carlton hotel.

Don’t be put off by the distance because it’s a wonderful drive.

The journey takes you past the vineyards of the Napa Valley, the first signs of snow and then into the high desert.

We enjoyed the views, a good chat and tuning into the local radio stations along the way.

And after just a few minutes at the Ritz-Carlton you’ll forget being stuck in a car for hours because they do service with a capital S.

The ski-in, ski-out hotel has a concierge service that not only makes sure you’re fitted with top-of-the-range gear (if you’re hiring) but will also show you to your skis/snowboards on the slopes and pick them up at the end of the day.

Classy.

Eager to get going, we were changed and ready to hit the snow within an hour.

Daily Mirror

Ready: Ben Rankin

Northstar has just under 100 trails (most of them of intermediate difficulty) and is well known for its tree skiing.

But this being the home resort of champion boarder Shaun White, it also has seven terrain parks and a huge halfpipe built in his honour.

It’s smaller and more family-orientated than Heavenly at South Lake Tahoe – which is an hour’s drive away – and seems to attract a wealthier crowd, but everyone is catered for here.

We rocked out to American anthems around big fire pits between runs and back at the hotel toasted marshmallows and made s’mores (toasted marshmallow sandwiches) with families.